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I-Team: Woman Says TSA Agent Stole Jewels At Logan Airport

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BOSTON (CBS) – Terri Ivester was on her way to a family christening in Chicago when she ran into a snag at the security checkpoint at Logan Airport.

Terri Ivester says, “The TSA agent holds my backpack up, and um, says there’s a water bottle in this backpack, I’m going to have to take that.”

That’s when Ivester says the agent left the area with her bag.

George Nacara, who is head of the TSA at Logan, tells the I-Team that passengers have the right to stay with their bags.

Ivester says she continued through the security checkpoint and she never gave it another thought until she got dressed for the christening.

“I’m ready to put on my jewelry and I can’t find it,” she says.

She realized she was missing four pieces including a single strand of pearls and a double strand bracelet totaling $3,700.

“It had gone through the scanner, I think they saw the jewels and took them,” says Ivester.

The Transportation Security Administration recently revealed that 382 of its agents have been fired for theft in the past ten years.

According to Nacara, six TSA agents have been fired from Logan out of the thousands hired. He says Logan’s high-tech security camera system closely monitors checkpoints and is often used to resolve cases of theft.

But there is a catch. The tapes are only saved for 30 days and Ivester says she lost time initially filing her complaint with police. By the time she made her claim with TSA it was too late.

The I-Team also analyzed thousands of reports of stolen items nationwide, laptops, watches, currency and jewelry. Since 2011 – more than $60,000 worth of claims were filed in Boston. TSA reimbursed less than $3,000.

Not surprising to Nacara, who says closed circuit cameras often reveal items are stolen by other passengers.

Still the Airline Passenger Rights Association warns travelers a series of recent TSA firings means there’s plenty of reason for concern.

The TSA’s advice: While they are watching you with your cameras, you should keep a close eye on your belongings.